Hongdae sushi restaurant with brush-on soy sauce: Yu Iksang Sushi

This time, my girlfriend and I stopped by Yu Iksang Sushi while on a Hongdae date to get some sushi. I found it while looking up what to eat in Hongdae, and one thing caught my eye the moment I saw the photos: sushi with long tails. Usually, sushi just has a little slice of fish sitting on top of the rice, but here the fish was so long it stretched well past the rice, haha.

A compact sushi restaurant near Hongdae Entrance Station

You can find Yu Iksang Sushi by walking from Hongdae Entrance Station toward Hongik University. Since it is right in the heart of Hongdae, it was in a nice spot to visit during a date. Rather than being huge, the restaurant felt more like a compact Japanese sushi spot.

There were both counter and table seats, so it looked fine for coming alone for sushi, but I also saw lots of pairs like us visiting for a couple set. When you look for a good Hongdae date restaurant, pasta or barbecue places tend to come to mind first, but coming for sushi like this once in a while is nice too, haha.

What comes with the Couple A Plus set

The Couple A Plus set we ordered was ₩56,000. It includes a variety of sushi, from salmon, flounder, and tuna to beef, tamago aburi (seared sweet egg), garlic shrimp aburi, and meka garlic aburi. I liked that the two of us could try lots of different kinds on one platter without having to choose each piece separately.

And even before the main sushi arrived, the side dishes came out, so the spread felt more filling than I expected. Especially the freshly made shrimp tempura—you just have to eat it right away while it is crisp!! It was nice to have one piece at a time while waiting for the sushi.

Fish slices long enough to cover the rice

I thought they looked long in the photos, but they were really long in person. There was a reason they call it long-tail sushi. The fish was not just lightly laid over the rice; it draped down so far that it covered the rice and still had plenty left over.

I think this style would appeal especially to anyone who wants to really taste the fish itself, like salmon or flounder. I also prefer sushi with plenty of fish rather than too high a rice-to-fish ratio, so I really liked the look of it from the start. Even while eating, my girlfriend and I said, “These really are long, haha,” and took photos first. Among Hongdae sushi restaurants, the visuals alone were definitely memorable.

Brushing soy sauce onto the sushi

Another fun thing about Yu Iksang Sushi: instead of dunking the sushi deeply into soy sauce, you can use a brush to paint the soy sauce on. At first, I wondered what the brush on the table was for, but you simply brush a little soy sauce over the long sushi. This was more convenient than I expected. You do not have to flip the sushi over and risk the rice falling apart in the soy sauce, and you can apply only as much as you want, so it does not overpower the fish.

A platter alternating fish sushi and aburi

Naturally, I started with the fish sushi. It was not easy to eat the long fish slice in one bite, so I ate the fish and rice together in reasonable bites, and the generous amount of fish definitely made it satisfying. The salmon had its signature soft, rich flavor, while the flounder was lighter than the salmon with a pleasantly chewy texture, making them nice to alternate. With tuna included too, there was a decent variety of fish sushi to enjoy. It was more fun to pick one of this and one of that than to keep eating just one type. If you are looking for sushi near Hongdae Entrance Station and like a style with generous fish slices, Yu Iksang Sushi’s long-tail sushi would suit you well.

The Couple A Plus set does not only have fish sushi; it also includes aburi selections. From tamago aburi to garlic shrimp aburi and meka garlic aburi, they were nice to have one at a time between the fish sushi. While the fish sushi was light and clean, the aburi sushi had a fuller feel from its seared aroma and sauce. That made the platter feel less monotonous even all the way to the end. Personally, I think this is exactly the strength of a couple set. It is fun to choose one piece at a time, haha.

To finish, the owner gave us complimentary eggplant sushi! I do not even eat eggplant, but the thinly grilled eggplant with seasoning brushed over it was so delicious, haha. Unlike an ordinary sushi restaurant, it has the clear feature of long-tail sushi, so it was fun to take photos before eating too. With sushi ranging from fish to aburi, it would suit anyone who wants to taste small amounts of several things rather than stick to one menu item.

Choosing sushi for a Hongdae date

When you are dating in Hongdae, it is easy to end up eating similar kinds of food every time, but this would be a nice option for couples who like sushi. If you visit as a pair like we did, I recommend ordering one Couple A Plus set and finding the sushi each of you likes. In particular, Yu Iksang Sushi’s signature look, with fish slices hanging much farther down than the rice, will probably make you take a photo when you see it in person, haha. If you are looking for a Hongdae sushi restaurant, sushi near Hongdae Entrance Station, or a Hongdae date restaurant to visit with your girlfriend or boyfriend, it is worth a visit.